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Sydney Trains
|el = 1500V (DC) overhead line |operator = Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) }} Sydney Trains is a passenger train operator with services extending across the Sydney Metropolitan area. The current operator is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for New South Wales, the statutory corporation owned by the Government of New South Wales and responsible for most elements of the transport network across the state. The Sydney Trains network is electrified with 1,500 V DC supplied by overhead wire and operated entirely by double-deck electric multiple units. The network is incorporated in the New South Wales Opal card ticketing system. Construction of the rail network began 3 July 1850 with the first services beginning in 1855. The Sydney Trains network was formerly part of the CityRail system from 1989-2013. The network consists of 176 stations extending north to Berowra, south to Waterfall and Macarthur and west to Emu Plains. History Sydney Trains' origins go as far back as 1855 when the first public railway in New South Wales opened between Sydney and Granville, now a suburb of Sydney but then a major agricultural centre. The railway formed the basis of the New South Wales Government Railways. Passenger and freight services were operated from the beginning. The city's railway system quickly expanded from the outset with lines radiating from Sydney into the interior of New South Wales, with frequent passenger railway services in the suburban areas of Sydney. All services were powered by steam locomotives, though in the 1920s petrol railcars were introduced for minor branch lines with low passenger numbers in metropolitan Sydney. Sydney Trains' system is to some extent the result of the vision and foresight of John Bradfield, one of Australia's most respected and famous civil engineers. He was involved in the design and construction of Sydney's underground railways in the 1920s and 1930s, but he is more famous for the associated design and construction of Sydney's greatest icon, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Electrification New South Wales uses an overhead electrification system at 1500 volts direct current. Whilst inferior to and more expensive than modern single phase alternating current equipment, it was in vogue during the 1920s and is generally sufficient for the operation of electric multiple unit trains. However, the introduction of powerful electric locomotives in the 1950s, followed by the Millennium M sets in 2002, revealed drawbacks in this antiquated system of electrification. As the voltage is relatively low, high currents are required to supply a given amount of power, which necessitates the use of very heavy duty cabling and substation equipment. Until the retirement of electric locomotives from freight service in the 1990s, it was often necessary to observe a "power margin" to ensure that substations were not overloaded. This situation was similar to that which applied to The Milwaukee Road's 3,000 VDC electrification. Electrification came to Sydney's suburbs in 1926 with the first electric service running between Central station and Oatley on the Illawarra line. In the same year, the first underground railway was constructed north from Central station to St James in Sydney's central business district. Electric trains that had previously terminated at Central station continued north, diving underground at the Goulburn Street tunnel portal, stopping at Museum and then terminating at St James.Jubilee of Sydney's Electric Trains Brady, I.A. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, March 1976 pp41-66 Other lines were soon electrified. Also, in conjunction with the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge which opened in 1932, an additional underground line was constructed, connecting the North Shore line with Central station via two stations, Wynyard and Town Hall. In 1956, Circular Quay station was opened, completing the loop known as the City Circle. When CityRail took over operating the network from the State Rail Authority it was part way through taking delivery of 450 Tangara T set carriages. The introduction of the Tangara T sets would see the last single deck suburban "Red Rattler" sets withdrawn in 1992 and the later introduction of the Tangara G sets replaced the last U set interurban sets in 1996."U-Boats...A Tribute" Railway Digest November 1996 page 43"The Demise of the U Sets" Railway Digest March 1997 page 38 Post 2000 In May 2000 the Airport Line connecting Central to Wolli Creek opened.About Airport Link Company Airport Link In July 2002 the first of 141 CityRail M set carriages entered service.Performance Audit - The Millennium Train Project Audit Office of New South Wales June 2003 In December 2006 the first of 221 OSCAR H set carriages entered service. In February 2009 the Epping to Chatswood railway line opened with shuttle services. being integrated into the Northern line service in October 2009. In July 2011 the first Waratah A set trains entered service to replace the S sets.Preening Waratah makes its entrance Sydney Morning Herald 2 July 2011 In May 2012 the Minister for Transport announced a restructure of RailCorp."RailCorp job cuts first of many: unions" Sydney Morning Herald 15 May 2012"Ruthless RailCorp reforms planned as middle management axed" Daily Telegraph 15 May 2012Corporate Plan 2012/13 RailCorp700 jobs to go as RailCorp gets the axe Daily Telegraph 16 November 2012 This resulted in all services in the Sydney Metropolitan area bounded by Berowra, Richmond, Emu Plains, Macarthur and Waterfall transferring operations from to Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink on 1 July 2013.About the Reform Sydney Trains Sydney Trains is also responsible for granting access to, and maintaining the Main Northern line as far as Berowra, the Main Western line as far as Emu Plains, the Main Southern line as far as Macarthur, the Illawarra line as far as Waterfall as well as the other lines wholly within the Sydney metropolitan area except the Metropolitan Goods and Southern Sydney Freight Lines. In April 2013 the new Sydney Trains logo was unveiled.Fixing the Trains: New approach to customer service Transport for NSW 18 April 2013 Nicknamed The Hop, the new logo replaced the L7 logo that has been carried on Sydney's trains in various colours since introduced by the Public Transport Commission in the 1970s. Lines Sydney Trains operates seven suburban lines, plus a late night NightRide bus service across metropolitan Sydney that is contracted out to private bus companies. Fleet Sydney Trains owns and runs the following suburban electric multiple unit train fleets: * S sets (192 carriages) * K sets (160 carriages) * C sets (56 carriages) * Tangara T sets (447 carriages) * Millennium M sets (141 carriages) * Waratah A sets(626 carriages) * Series 2 Waratah B sets (192 Carriages) References Category:Sydney Trains